Accomplishments

Washington State ranks among the top states for voter registration, security, and elections innovation. I am proud to have worked in elections for the past 24 years, overseeing over 100 elections at the county and state level. Washington consistently ranks among the top states for security, voter turnout, ballot accessibility, and voter outreach and information.

We lead the nation in innovations like accessible voter information and ballot applications that work with the user’s device to enable voters with special needs to vote secretly and independently. We have improved service delivery, like providing election materials in multiple formats – written, audio, and braille, to best meet every voter’s needs – and translated materials into 17 languages, to enable all voters to cast an informed ballot.

While we’ve accomplished much in the Secretary of State’s Office, we have more to do. Starting next year, I will work to reform our Presidential Primary with an earlier date and the return of the unaffiliated ballot option for voters. I want to finish the elections technology modernization project that we began with all 39 counties three years ago to update our voter registration systems. I also want to protect our state’s rich history by co-locating our State Library, State Archives and Records Center into a single location to improve public access and efficiency. This is what Washingtonians expect and deserve.

Improving access and integrity of our state’s elections

We improved the capacity, reliability and stability of the statewide election night reporting system. In the peak demand of the 2014 General Election, we accurately provided results to 15,000 people a second, with no outages or delays.

Increased the accuracy, reduced the cost and improved the efficiency of voter registration to provide the most current information for counties to plan and administer elections.

Contacted potentially eligible, but not registered voters and provided information on how to register to vote. We increased our state's ranking for percentage of eligible voters who are registered by 9 places!

Worked to protect voters’ access to and engagement in the 2016 Presidential Primary.

Used technology to increase the accessibility of customized voter and ballot information for voters with special needs, such as low vision or physical challenges.

Preserving access to our state’s rich heritage

We worked with legislators, library stakeholders, and county auditors to secure stable funding for state library operations for the first time in over a decade, protecting public access to the resources and collections maintained at the State Library. Stabilized state matching funds for federal dollars which are distributed to local library districts across the state.

Created new technology to move the archives and state library into the 21st century by improving access to the paper documents and publications in digital formats. One example, archives staff created a crowd sourcing system to index digital records, which enabled the Digital Archives to post the 150 millionth record online in 2015.

Reduced the amount of state public records stored on paper by 10% - a full year ahead of schedule, saving tax dollars in storage and search costs.

Began the process to maximize your tax dollars and improve the efficiency of our operations by consolidating the state records center, archives and library into a single facility. This will provide a long-term solution to ensure the preservation of and access to our state’s history.

Making it easier to do business in Washington state

We simplified and streamlined the filing processes for profit and non-profit corporations doing business in Washington state.

My office provided employers, employees, and job seekers an opportunity to receive computer skills training at no cost. The Imagine Academy is available through a partnership with the State Library and more than 400 libraries across the state.